The Volunteer with Children in Refugee Camps in Palestine Program (1 Week – 3 Months) offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Palestinian culture while supporting the local community. Participants spend one week to three months in the West Bank, helping Palestinians improve their English skills and exploring Palestinian heritage.
Additionally, the Volunteer with Children in Refugee Camps in Palestine Program provides opportunities to learn Arabic and visit refugee camps, deepening participants’ understanding of the challenges faced by Palestinians. This initiative offers a rare and meaningful experience, allowing volunteers to engage with a different culture and make a positive impact on Palestinian lives.
Who are the Palestinian refugees?
While the term “Palestinian refugees” often brings to mind those living outside Palestine due to the events of 1948—such as in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq—it’s important to acknowledge that Palestinian refugee communities also exist within the West Bank and Gaza.
In the West Bank, there are approximately 22 camps housing around 176,000 refugees, and in Gaza, there are 12 camps accommodating about 478,000 refugees. These communities are a significant part of the Palestinian refugee experience, underscoring the complex and multifaceted nature of displacement and the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinians in various contexts.
How can they be refugees in their own country?
In 1948, as Israeli armed groups launched attacks on Palestinian towns, villages, and cities, many Palestinians faced harrowing circumstances that forced them to flee to safer areas. A significant number sought refuge in the West Bank or Gaza.
These displaced individuals initially settled in these regions temporarily, with the hope of eventually returning to their original homes. Since then, they have lived in a state of anticipation, enduring ongoing challenges and uncertainties while awaiting the fulfillment of that promise.
Learn Arabic Language During Volunteering
We offer two Arabic classes each week, with each class lasting 1.5 hours, totaling 3 hours of immersive language instruction. This comprehensive learning experience enhances your grasp of the Arabic language and deepens your understanding of Arabic culture and communication dynamics.
Improve English Through Friendly Conversations
Our primary goal is to help you speak and comprehend English fluently. Through engaging and friendly conversations, we cater to students of all ages and genders, creating an environment conducive to English language enhancement. We believe that honing conversational skills can significantly broaden life’s opportunities and facilitate connections with people from diverse backgrounds and locations.
Live with a Palestinian Host Family
Residing with a Palestinian family offers a unique opportunity. This immersive experience not only facilitates language acquisition but also provides profound insights into the culture and everyday life of your hosts. By living among them, you gain firsthand exposure to their traditions, values, and hospitality, enhancing your overall learning journey. It serves as a gateway to forge meaningful connections and deepen your appreciation for Palestinian life and its intricacies.
Explore Refugee Camps on Day Trips
We organize day trips to refugee camps in Hebron and Bethlehem, allowing you to see the lives of refugees up close. Spending time in these camps helps you understand their challenges and resilience. This eye-opening experience broadens your horizons, builds empathy, and deepens your understanding of these communities.
City Tours in Hebron
Our program includes day tours in Hebron, where you will explore key areas, each with a unique story. These tours let you learn about the city’s history and contemporary life. You’ll also visit local factories to understand the local economy and craftsmanship, offering a comprehensive experience that helps you appreciate the culture and life in Hebron.
Cook Authentic Palestinian Dishes Together
Our program offers a culinary adventure where you’ll actively participate in preparing authentic Palestinian dishes. This is a chance to learn and bond over cooking while enjoying the flavors of the region. This experience helps you connect with the community and create lasting memories.
Explore Beyond Hebron: Two Days Off Weekly
We allocate two days off per week for you to venture beyond Hebron, recognizing the significance of regional exploration. This opportunity allows you to discover captivating locales in Palestine, including Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, and Jerusalem. These designated days off are crafted to afford you the freedom to travel, immerse yourself in learning, and create enduring memories beyond the confines of Hebron, ensuring a comprehensive and enriching experience during your stay.
Where will the program be held?
It takes place in the heart of Palestine, in the city of Hebron. Hebron, Al-Khalil in Arabic, is located in the southern part of the West Bank. It is 30 km (19 miles) south of Jerusalem. The population of Hebron is about 300,000 persons who reside in the city, and about another 500,000 who live in the surrounding villages.
What is included in the Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine Program?
As a participant in this program, you will engage in the following activities: teaching conversational English primarily to Palestinian children residing in refugee camps. Additionally, there are opportunities to partake in optional entertainment, sports, and educational activities.
Furthermore, you will have the chance to meet Palestinian refugees, listen to their narratives, pose inquiries, and foster friendships. These interactions offer invaluable insights into their experiences and facilitate meaningful connections.
How long can I join the program?
- Our volunteers can choose to participate in the program for a period of one to 12 weeks.
- Whatever length of time you choose, we will support you so that you have a great and unique experience at our center and in this wonderful city of Hebron.
Why choose GO Palestine?
What kinds of tasks will I be doing?
Educational activities
- International volunteers will create and organize activities that are aimed at educating Palestinian children as well as adults. These educational activities include English classes that focus on the conversation. As opposed to teaching grammar, conversational skills will be the primary focus of the sessions.
- We would like for the people you work with to learn by doing. For instance, through presentations, games, group work, etc. Additionally, international volunteers will have the opportunity to visit schools within the camp and organize educational activities for Palestinian primary and secondary school students.
Entertainment activities
- Another aspect of the program will be participating/organizing entertainment activities for Palestinian refugees (optional). These activities might include music, drawing, sports, games, and arts and crafts activities.
- If you are worried that you will be alone in organizing these activities, do not worry. You will not be alone. There will be Palestinian volunteers to help you organize the entertainment activities as well.
What are the advantages of volunteering with refugees?
- Experience the hospitality of Palestinians and discover the beauty of the Palestinian culture by interacting with Palestinian families and refugees.
- Daily Palestinian breakfast at the center.
- 3 hours of Arabic lessons per week – Two classes/1,5 hours a class.
- The program provides you with a chance to visit local sites in Hebron and get to know the rich history of the city.
- Accommodation, including either staying with a local host family or at our 8th-floor apartment. Private accommodation is also available with extra fees.
- Day trips to refugee camps in Hebron & Bethlehem and some areas of political importance.
- At the completion of the program, you will get a participation certificate and a recommendation letter.
Learn Arabic while Volunteering in Palestine – Individual Classes
Volunteering in Palestine is a great way to learn the Arabic language and make a difference at the same time. You can choose to learn Modern Standard Arabic or Levantine Arabic, depending on your needs and interests. You will have three weekly hours of Arabic, divided into two classes a week. By volunteering while learning Arabic, you will gain valuable experience while helping out in your community.
What’s your Weekly routine like?
We at GO Palestine are keen to make your weekly schedule diversified, rich, and organized. Thus, it will contain a number of educational, social, and fun activities that will make your experience in Palestine special and unique.
Breakfast starts at 9:30 am
The day at our center starts with a special Palestinian breakfast at 9:30 in the morning and ends at approximately 10:15. Our breakfast contains a number of ingredients, including Palestinian thyme (Zaatar), labneh, tomato and cucumber slices, falafel, hummus, mortadella, olives, yellow cheese, jam, pita bread, boiled or fried eggs, and French fries. The ingredients are changed (among the mentioned ingredients) from time to time to diversify the breakfast.
The Content of the program starts at 10:30
The content of your program begins at 10:30 in the morning and continues until 1:30 or 2:00 in the afternoon. This includes teaching conversational English to Palestinians (school students, university students, and community members). This differs depending on the program you are joining, please read the program’s description.
Lunch Break starts at 2:00 pm
At two o’clock in the afternoon begins the lunch break, which lasts for an entire hour. You can buy lunch from a restaurant next to the center. There are a number of restaurants nearby, which provide meals such as shawarma, falafel, and fried chicken as well as traditional Palestinian meals such as Maqluba, Hebron’s Qidreh, Chicken Mansaf or Lamp Mansaf, and other meals. There are also a number of supermarkets/malls nearby where you can buy what you need and cook yourself in the center.
Arabic Language Classes (MSA and Levantine/Colloquial)
Weekly, you will get two Arabic language classes for an hour and a half each. These classes are taught by one of our skilled/qualified teachers. Arabic language classes are held at different times, either in the morning or, in most cases, in the afternoon. The student can choose whether to study Modern Standard Arabic, Colloquial Arabic (Ammiya), or both.
Day Trips to Refugee Camps in Bethlehem & Hebron
Once every week, a day trip is organized to the refugee camps in Hebron and Bethlehem, as well as to areas of political importance whenever the opportunity arises. These trips will give you the opportunity to learn about the conditions of the Palestinian refugees, talk to them and learn their stories. These trips depart at 10:45 am from the center and end approx. at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon.
Local Visits to Learn about the Landmarks of the city of Hebron
Once every two weeks, local visits are organized to the historical and economic landmarks of the city of Hebron. This includes a visit to the Ibrahimi Mosque, the Old City, and Al-Shuhada Street as well as visiting a number of factories in the city, such as keffiyeh, glass, and ceramic factories.
Prepare & Cook a Traditional Palestinian Dish
Once every two or three weeks, all our volunteers, interns, and Arabic language’ students join together to prepare and cook a traditional Palestinian dish. This includes preparing appetizers, frying vegetables, cooking rice, chopping chicken or meat, and stuffing some vegetables depending on the dish to be cooked that day.
Free Time starts at 16:00 or at 16:30
After your time in the center is over, you have free time when you can hang out with other international participants and/or locals you met during your stay in Hebron by going to a café or coffee shop or going to a park and enjoying your time in the evening. There are many cafés and parks not far from the center, as the center is located on one of the most lively streets in the city.
Who can apply to the volunteer with refugees in Palestine program?
- The Palestinian Center has hosted people who have come from a myriad of countries, such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Colombia, France, Japan, China, Chile, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, and many more.
- The Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine program is open to all who are between 18 – 75 years old. All people from all countries and majors are welcome to join this program.
- Those who are younger than 18 years old can also apply but with one condition. One of your parents has to fill out and sign a parental consent form
When will I be able to apply to the Program?
- The Volunteer with Palestinian Refugees program has no deadline, which means that you can apply to the program year-round.
- You are allowed to choose when you want to start and end the program.
- The minimum period of participation in volunteering with refugees in Palestine is one week and the maximum amount of time you can volunteer is four weeks/one month.
Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine Program’s Fees
What does the Participation Fee include?
| Accommodation | Host family or at our 8th-floor apartment Private accommodation is available with extra fees |
| Arabic Lessons | 3 Hours a Week – Two Classes/ 1,5 hours of Arabic lessons each |
| Meals | Daily Palestinian breakfast |
| Day Trips | To Refugees camps in Hebron & Bethlehem & some areas of political importance |
| Sightseeings | Historical & politically important places in the city of Hebron |
| Certificate | Certificate of participation & recommendation letter at the end of the program |
Do I need to know how to speak Arabic?
No, volunteers are not obligated to know Arabic. The center will provide you with 3 hours of Arabic lessons each week with one of our teachers. The participant can choose either to study Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) or Spoken Arabic Language (known as Ammyia) once they start their program.
Can I add more Arabic hours to my hours in the program?
Absolutely, volunteers have the choice to incorporate extra Arabic language instruction hours for an additional fee of $20.00 per hour. Please remember to specify this preference in your application.
| Place of Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine Program | Hebron (H1 – Under Palestinian Control), Palestine |
| Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine Program Fees | Starting From 250$ – American Dollar |
| Age | 18-75 Years Old |
| Minimum Period of Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine | One Week |
| Maximum Period of Volunteer with Refugees in Palestine | Three Months – 12 Weeks |
| Volunteering Hours | 4-5 hours a day – 5 days a week |
| Starting/Ending Dates | Flexible – Anytime |
| Application Deadline | No Deadline |
| Program Language | English |
| Days off | Two days including Fridays & Thursdays or Saturdays |
| Arabic Lessons | 3 Hours a Week – Standard Arabic Or Ammiya |
| Educational Degree | Not Required |
| University Credit | Available |
Is it possible to combine this program with another Program?
Certainly! This program can be integrated with any of the other internship or volunteer opportunities provided by the center. For instance, you have the flexibility to select one or more weeks to participate in this program and pair it with another program for an extended duration.
Things to know before visiting Palestine!
| Living Costs in Palestine | Approx. 50-70$ a Week |
| Weekend in Palestine | On Friday |
| Food in Palestine | The West Bank engages primarily in heavier meals involving the use of bread, rice, and meat, and coastal plain inhabitants frequent fish, other seafood, and lentils. |
| Wifi Access in Palestine | At houses, cafes, restaurants – Almost everywhere |
| 3G Service in Palestine | Available since Jan 2018 |
| The official language in Palestine | Arabic – Palestinian Dialect (One of the Levantine dialects) |
| Currency in Palestine | Mainly Israeli Shekel (NIS). Jordanian Dinar & American Dollars are also used in buying Real estate and land. |
| Transportations in Palestine | Yellow Taxies & Orange Mini-Vans |
| Weather in Palestine | Summer (25-30°C), Winter (0-9°C) |
| Nearest Major Airports to Palestine | Ben Gurion Airport in Israel if you travel via Israel Alia International Airport if you travel via Jordan |
Can I extend the term of my study while I’m there?
Certainly, volunteers have the option to extend their participation period. To do so, volunteers must notify the center coordinator at least one week before the conclusion of the ongoing program. This advance notice allows for proper coordination and planning to accommodate the extension smoothly.
What is the procedure for applying?
| Step 1 | Send us an email asking for the application form. |
| Step 2 | You complete the online application and send it in. |
| Step 3 | We invite you for an interview by means of a Skype/WhatsApp call. |
| Step 4 | We will send you a confirmation form which you fill out and return to us. |
| Step 5 | We send you the Invitation Letter, the contract and the invoice. |
| Step 6 | You will sign the contract and make payment in order to reserve your place in the program. |
| Step 7 | We will send you an orientation booklet and travel guide to Palestine. |
The Documents you’ll receive from us!
How do I register or obtain more information?
Please email Mr.Tamimi, at info@govolunteerinpalestine.org. Please type “The Volunteer with Children in Refugee Camps in Palestine Program ” in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us of your interest, ask any questions you may have, and request an application. Very shortly, we will reply to you.